India plans to get more than a million personal protective equipment kits from Singapore and has already 100,000 COVID-19 testing kits from the south-east Asian nations in a donation have been received.

India plans to get more than a million personal protective equipment kits from Singapore and has already 100,000 COVID-19 testing kits from the south-east Asian nations in a donation have been received. Speaking to our principal diplomatic correspondent Sidhant Sibal, India's envoy to Singapore Jawed Ashraf spoke extensively on how Indian mission is reaching out to infected Indian workers and stranded Indian nationals. Of the 11,000 cases of COVID-19 positive migrant foreign workers, 25% of them are Indians. It is interesting to know, Singapore's govt is providing all infected foreigner worker full salaries, three meals, full medical support and free wifi to connect them with their families. Also read | COVID-19 death toll touches 779 as number of cases rises to 24,942 in India Sidhant Sibal: What do you think about the Singaporean model to contain the spread of the virus? Jawed Ashraf: The whole situation in Singapore has evolved in three different phases, one is that they were early to start the process of strategizing in containing the spread of the virus once it became evident that there is a new virus spreading in Wuhan, China because of very close economic and cultural and people to people links between China and Singapore. On a given day, there used to be 14,000 arrivals from China. They started very early and the first case was confirmed on January 23, initially itself when social distancing measures were taken, testing was quite rapid, they developed a sound system of contact tracing, very vigorous and quick and were able to contain the spread, until the beginning of March and essentially they were able to stop the ingress from China and were able to stop the spread. After that, sometimes in the middle of March when people were returning, Singaporeans were returning from abroad particularly from Europe, US as the pandemic started spreading throughout the world and then we saw a big spike in the incident and spread and it began to average around 50 a day and then starting at the beginning of April, there has been a steep increase in a number of cases among the foreign workers living in the dormitories. There are about 200,000 construction workers including from India who live in dormitories and another 90,000 who live in smaller dormitories throughout the country and there has been a big spread after that. From about 1,100 at the end of March, we have about 12,000 in the last 25 days. There were some important steps, worth recognizing, having experienced SARS, they have set up a sound system, of dealing with the spread of infectious diseases, in particular, the nature of pandemic, so the healthcare infrastructure is sound and it is very extensive and no capacity constraint, which is why despite the numbers, the mortality rate is extremely low. Till today, we have only 12 cases of death in the course of the past 3 months. The focus was on contact tracing and remember it is a relatively smaller place though it is quite dense, it has 5.6 million resident. These 2 important factors, and the restrictive measures quite incremental unlike in our case and many others, so they have only escalated it in response to the extent of spread of the infection. So they eventually went into lockdown, which is kind of a circuit breaker. A number of essential services were working,, but all places of work have been stopped and socializing has been prohibited. Restaurants have been opened, hawker centres are open, but no one can sit there and eat. In a sense, it is a lockdown but not as strict as in other places. but the important point is it is incremental in nature and it has now been extended. It was instituted for 4 weeks starting April 7 but now has been extended to June 1. The situation in Singapore is they have a very rapid spread in dormitories but the relatively stable situation in the rest of the city. They have been able to create a partition between the 2 but how they treating foreign workers is remarkable in the sense, while they have instituted isolation and social distancing measures in the dorms, the healthy ones are taken out after testing and they have set up an extensive new facility to help foreign workers who are healthy. SS: Talking about the Indian worker, what is the mission doing for them.. JA: We have today, 11000 cases of foreign workers about 25% of them are Indians. So we have 2600 Indians who are infected. What Singapore govt has done that they are paid full salaries, given 3 meals and they are given full medical support, and they have also distributed masks and sanitizers to all the workers, not just those who are sick but to everyone. They cant leave the dorms, they are in isolation, they have been provided with free WIFI in all the dorms, and were wifi was weak they have strengthed it, so that they can speak to families, watch movies, they can download other content. So they have taken very strong welfare measures for all, foreign workers including Indians. PM Lee has said, that we will treat foreign workers, the way we treat Singaporeans. They have set up a very extensive facility for isolation and for recuperation. That is as far as the Singapore govt is doing. As far as the mission is concerned, let us divide it into 2 parts, what is happening with worker and what is happening with others over here. A large number of stranded Indians here, who were here on a short visit, whose jobs had ended and they wanted to go back. As far as workers are concerned, we are working with Singapore govt very closely, in fact, PM Lee had mentioned it to our PM when they had a conversation that we are collaborating very closely, High commission doing a good job. We are working with them very closely, we have gone and visited the dorms and I have recorded a video message in Tamil since most workers are Tamil speakers, we have also engaged with them on Tamil New Year on April 14th. So they have a helpline and we have given a reassurance that Singapore govt will be looking after the healthcare, interest, welfare, salaries but we are present if they need any help of any kind, and second we are working with communities as well. A large number of NGOs who are working with Dorms and we have helped the community at large, connect with them, many of them, for example, are raising resources to supplement efforts in providing soaps, personal hygiene products, sometimes also, providing food to supplement and especially for foreigner workers who are living in smaller establishments at the construction sites etc. Very few of them, they have been looked after, though the NGOs with mobilisation of the communities. If the challenge of food, the accommodation we will directly provide it. The mission is present in all aspects and I have been in touch with ministers over here. The second part of the Indians stranded here, we have about let us say, close to about 2900 people who have registered with us because we have opened the page on our website so that they can register with names and places in India asking passport number. There were those who were here on tourist visas, on business purposes, who got stranded when we had a lockdown and suspended flights. We have people here, visiting family members, means parents visiting children who work here, siblings, so these are social visitors, and many who have lost jobs, who were here on employment and they and families are stranded here. Many students here, but most continue to remain in the hostel, facilities, and a large number of students have registered because you know working way through education. So we are providing accommodation, we are providing dry rations, we have provided food delivery also at the places of residence and we have arranged with a number of Indian restaurants over here. So they go deliver food as and when people request us, so we have instituted a system in which meals are delivered regularly. There are those who are living in little India so that we have connected with restaurants and a couple of temples and mosques who are arranging meals for some of them, so they found it more convenient to walk across these places. So in different ways, food accommodation has been arranged for them. We have also, arranged for medicines and doctors. A lot of people who are stranded here are now short of medicines, chronic illness, diabetes, hypertension, heart conditions other aliments, so we have arranged for 2 ways, we have got who supplies from India but we have also arranged for our own embassy panelled doctors to provide consultations and write prescriptions to procure medicines over here. For students, we have appointed councillors, people who can counsel them, students living alone in isolation, especially those who are young, its a kind of sense of stress. We have got counsellors who can provide support to them and we have got an extreme situation where we had 5 people who died here, not linked to COVID, couple of people who were here for treatment from India for cancer. So they died over here and we arranged for last rites. We had to work with Singapore govt, for the burial of a Muslim lady and 3 who required last rites according to Hindu customs so all this. A number of diverse needs, we even had to look at counsellors, trained professionals. SS: How both countries cooperating to tackle with the crisis? JA: Both Singaporean and Indian PM Modi spoke, it was a very good conversation. Singapore temasek foundation has donated 70,000 COVID test kits for testing, 30,000 additional kits were given through bill gates and Melinda gates foundation and they have given us so far free of charge, 100,000 test kits. That is the first point, number 2, test kits we making in India, supplies of reagents and enzymes from here, some of the labs based here that make the enzymes. They have a massive biotech industry, and labs over here, they have been able to develop and scale up the production of reagents, enzymes for making test kits. They are prepared to supply test kits to India, as and when needed, both in commercial terms. They have done it for a number of other countries. Research and collaboration is very strong because of the proximity. Agency for Science, Technology and Research or A Star, has a large number of Indian scientist and some of the collaborations are getting more intensified particularly in terms of finding cheaper test kits, vaccines, so on and so forth. This is happening across the world, I mean, it is a global movement in which scientist from all parts of the world are collaborating in the race against time and develop cheaper test kits that is available throughout the world. We have also got a large number of commercial offers from here which are being evaluated by Indian companies as well. Science and tech collaboration between Indian and Singapore universities and research labs are always strong, that part will go on and we hope it will succeed somewhere in the world. We are also talking about maintaining supply chain during this period because even as the world is dealing with the pandemic, we have to remember that there are issues of food supplies, issues of medical supplies that world has to work towards maintaining. Another thing we are working with Singapore is that there procurement of food supplies from India which is quite significant continues without any hindrance, we are also talking about collaborating and making masks and other PPE kits. Singapore has come capacity over here and our mission is also part of this network which has been tasked by the government for the procurement of PPE kits because Singapore has a large number of global traders in everything, it is one of the global trading hubs and one of the financial centres, so are working with our ministry and ministry of health and HLL for procurement of more than a million PPE kits though a Singapore based company, and several other suppliers here who source it from different parts of the world and this PPE and we have connected them to govt and private sector in India so that things move parallelly between the govt and private sector. This is an important hub for everyone, for traders who deal with PPE kits. Singapore has placed a request for hydroxychloroquine to buy on commercial terms, we will evaluate it and it will be approved soon. SS: How are Indian diplomats faring in the country? JA: It is much easier for us here to be honest, you see till April 7th there was no lockdown over here, except for social distancing measures, there weren't any measures. If u see my tweets, I have met various ministers as late as April 2nd and 3rd, and we were not doing any major social events but we were doing our diplomatic activities. I was meeting senior officials. Since then we have also started instituting measures in our mission, in the sense that we are allowed to come to work, all these officers come to the mission daily, we are sitting in the mission, because of all the issues of looking after workers and stranded Indians of procurement keeps us busy, the supply chains between the 2 countries. Fortunately in Singapore, they have been successful, other than in the dorms, the spread was relatively stable and we are all observing social distancing fully and we are confident even in cases of the dorms, they have managed to prevent any leakage, so firewall the dorms to prevent any spread to the city, but within the dorms in last 4 days, we have seen the numbers peaking, new cases being constant, so if that is the case, we will start to see a decline in the daily new cases, so that will also come in the control and most of them, in any case, is very mild symptoms and they don't require hospitalization, because they have managed to keep capacity for treatment and intensive case units ahead of the curve, so they distinguishing between those that require hospitalization and those that require isolation and they have done it very well, so we are cautious and we take all precautionary measures, we all have our temperature screening. We have our minimised public contact to nothing but we in the mission continue to come and work over here. Singapore had no problem with the supply of food or any other essential items and our consular services continue to operate on very very skeletal biases, so if there is a death and requires certification, renewal of passport, to revalidate work permits over here. We have continued to work outside the embassy and we are fortunate enough we are in Singapore where the situation is not that difficult, supplies are normal and we can procure everything over here, food and anything we need on regular basis and shops is fully stocked. Hospitals are not overwhelmed over here, in case anyone requires to go for regular or any other cause, we are all over here, we are just here officials and essential India based support staff. Local staff, we have told them to stay at home, work from home, so we are functioning normally. SS: Many stranded Indians are keen to come back, what will you say to them? JA: There is lot of pressure from the stranded Indians to now get back, for all the measures we take over here to look after the welfare, naturally imagine people who are stranded here, came here for a week, 10 days and that has been extended for over a month. Those who have lost jobs and need to go back, we have cases like, a couple here and one 11 years old child from Pune who is here by himself, and cases where someone has come here and stuck here and lost a family member and they can't go home, if you were to leave home for a week or 10 days, you will leave a lot of things to lose and lot of things you will not care, and u suddenly find yourself stranded, so a lot of pressure, as there is in rest of the world and as there is within India for migrants to go back home, so we have to deal with that pressure and that requires one to be patience, requires counselling, we have to be on email, phone with them, we have set up helplines in the mission which are attended round the clock. Those that require special treatment get up the filter to a higher level. I personally answer a lot of mail my self because I feel it should be reassuring and connect with them. My deputy does it, so all of us are trying to give it a personal touch, but yes we dealing with a lot of stress, so that message here, it has been from rest of the world. The thing we explained to them is, look, massive lockdown in India and people not able to move from one house to the next, how do we organise movement in the country and each city may say I have 3000 people, if we look at across the world we might end up with hundreds and thousands of Indians wanting to come back and we also have a situation where people may ask migrant workers are stuck, we have not made arrangement for them to return, and we making arrangements for them. It is a very complex task and this is why we individually engage with people and try to explain to them and make them understand, patience is important in our collective fight beside making arrangement for so many people and testing them is a huge task. When you explain to them they understand what they dealing with and we deal with and risk that exists for so many people travelling in a large group, imagine an aircraft of 200 people and one of them is infected, so people who are safe might find themselves as infected on the way. But human psychology being what it is, it is always there. We doing quite well so far. And let us hope.... but no one really knows where we are on this curve and if 2nd and 3rd waves will come and frankly, it will take a long time for things to return normal because unless.. because when we reopen how do u allow international travel and what kind of protocol you introduce that enable people that those coming in and out for business and work are safe, who does the testing, you do testing after departure or before departure, temperature means nothing, asymptomatic cases are 80%, the issue will have to be worked out because it will be a long haul before we even before we see a semblance of normalcy. SS: Back on sourcing from Singapore, the role played by the mission to get medical equipment sourced JA: As I told you because it is a global trading hub, a lot of international trading firm are based in Singapore, many of them have Indian lineage and like for example olam international is an agro commodity company present in 70 countries and is based out of Singapore, it has been co-founded by Indians and not 5 generations ago, these are Indians who are graduates of IIMs and all. The government essentially looked at let us diversify to different sources and ultimately they procured from various places--it could be Korea, china and it could even be some other places, and one of the sense is always that Singapore based companies always do a lot of due diligence and since they have experience in international trading, they have good logistics and all arranged with them and as I said when we were looking at a quotation for test kits and things, we had so many companies here even for PPEs, so many companies came up with offers, because being a trading hub, they have networks of supply chains that work extremely well, so that is one of the reasons, govt asked us to look at arranging for procurement, a lot of these factories are in china but masks are made in many countries. It is a question of getting the right source because speed is essential and working of supply of china is also necessary.

EXCLUSIVE- We will get a million PPEs from Singapore: Indian envoy

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The Indian government is planning to evacuate the countrymen stranded in different countries after the nationwide lockdown is lifted. Indian missions in different countries are laying the groundwork for the same and holding consultations with authorities.&nbsp;

Earlier this week, India's Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba held a video conference with chief secretaries of all states and union territories on the situation on lockdown in the country and resumption of economic activities.

During that meeting, the issue of Indians stranded abroad was also discussed. A government release said cabinet secretary informed that "Ministry of External Affairs has started the process of consultation with the States/UTs to bringing back the Indian nationals stranded in different countries."

The final call for this will be taken after "getting feedback on the preparedness of the states/UTs to receive such people and taking into consideration all required health precautions" which includes quarantine and testing facility.

Several Indians have been stranded across the world, from Japan to Singapore to Europe and Gulf who are keen to come back to India but cannot due to non-operation of flights and pan India lockdown. As of now, the Indian missions have told them to stay put and are reaching out to them by providing them food, accommodation and even dry ration.&nbsp;

While the evacuation of Indians is expected to be a huge task, before the lockdown India had evacuated more than 2000 of its citizens from China, Japan, Italy and Iran.

This also included 48 foreigners, many of them from neighbouring countries like Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
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The Indian government is planning to evacuate the countrymen stranded in different countries after the nationwide lockdown is lifted. Indian missions in different countries are laying the groundwork for the same and holding consultations with authorities.

The Indian government is planning to evacuate the countrymen stranded in different countries after the nationwide lockdown is lifted. Indian missions in different countries are laying the groundwork for the same and holding consultations with authorities. Earlier this week, India's Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba held a video conference with chief secretaries of all states and union territories on the situation on lockdown in the country and resumption of economic activities. During that meeting, the issue of Indians stranded abroad was also discussed. A government release said cabinet secretary informed that "Ministry of External Affairs has started the process of consultation with the States/UTs to bringing back the Indian nationals stranded in different countries." The final call for this will be taken after "getting feedback on the preparedness of the states/UTs to receive such people and taking into consideration all required health precautions" which includes quarantine and testing facility. Several Indians have been stranded across the world, from Japan to Singapore to Europe and Gulf who are keen to come back to India but cannot due to non-operation of flights and pan India lockdown. As of now, the Indian missions have told them to stay put and are reaching out to them by providing them food, accommodation and even dry ration. While the evacuation of Indians is expected to be a huge task, before the lockdown India had evacuated more than 2000 of its citizens from China, Japan, Italy and Iran. This also included 48 foreigners, many of them from neighbouring countries like Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

Indian missions lay groundwork to bring back stranded Indians from abroad post lockdown

India has sent the second tranche of emergency medical supply consisting of&nbsp;1,00,000 hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) tablets and&nbsp;50,000 sterile surgical latex gloves to Bangladesh.

The assistance comes under the SAARC Covid-19 Emergency Fund whose establishment was announced during the SAARC video conference meeting that took place in mid-March under Indian PM Modi's initiative.

The Indian envoy to Bangladesh Riva Ganguly Das handed over the supplies&nbsp;to Bangladesh Health Minister Zahid Maleque who appreciated India's continued support.

Zahid said, “Helping hands of our neighbour at this time of distress is most welcome”.

"We are close neighbours. India has a neighbourhood first policy &amp; in the neighbourhood, it’s BD first for India. &nbsp;We stand with you. Stay safe, stay home. We will come out victorious in this", Indian envoy to Bangladesh Riva Ganguly Das said.

The supplies were transported from India with the help of Biman Bangladesh and have been dispatched to Central Medical Stores Depot, Government of Bangladesh.

The first tranche of emergency medical assistance under this fund containing 30,000 surgical masks and 15,000 head-cover were handed over to Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Dr A.K. Abdul Momen on 25 March.

India has sent the second tranche of emergency medical supply consisting of 1,00,000 hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) tablets and 50,000 sterile surgical latex gloves to Bangladesh.

India has sent the second tranche of emergency medical supply consisting of 1,00,000 hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) tablets and 50,000 sterile surgical latex gloves to Bangladesh. The assistance comes under the SAARC Covid-19 Emergency Fund whose establishment was announced during the SAARC video conference meeting that took place in mid-March under Indian PM Modi's initiative. The Indian envoy to Bangladesh Riva Ganguly Das handed over the supplies to Bangladesh Health Minister Zahid Maleque who appreciated India's continued support. Zahid said, “Helping hands of our neighbour at this time of distress is most welcome”. "We are close neighbours. India has a neighbourhood first policy & in the neighbourhood, it’s BD first for India. We stand with you. Stay safe, stay home. We will come out victorious in this", Indian envoy to Bangladesh Riva Ganguly Das said. The supplies were transported from India with the help of Biman Bangladesh and have been dispatched to Central Medical Stores Depot, Government of Bangladesh. The first tranche of emergency medical assistance under this fund containing 30,000 surgical masks and 15,000 head-cover were handed over to Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Dr A.K. Abdul Momen on 25 March.

India sends second tranche of medicines to Bangladesh

India has briefed European Union on the methodology it is following in combating the spread of COVID-19 including "macro-level response of the government since January 2020". Speaking to WION's Principal diplomatic correspondent Sidhant Sibal, India's envoy to EU Gaitri Issar Kumar said mission swiftly liaised with universities in Belgium to provide Indian students on accommodation, services etc and New Delhi has made sure that continued flow of essential medical supplies from India to the EU.

WION: How is the situation in EU now and role played by the Indian mission in Brussels in taking care of Indian citizens?

Amb Gaitri Issar Kumar: The EU has been affected more directly in a way, as the virus seems to have reached directly and spread very rapidly in Europe – first in Italy followed by Spain, Belgium, Germany and the other EU Member States. Today, the situation in the EU, after a worrisome period, seems to be improving as per reports. The lockdown and containment measures – including the closing of borders --&nbsp;though challenging for EU citizens and governments alike, have proven to be successful.

The EU leadership quickly took steps to ensure the uninterrupted flow of essential supplies through the EU’s internal borders by creating “green lanes” and that helped to avoid shortages in supermarkets across the EU. Healthcare systems are being revamped across the European Union, people seem to have settled down into the new normal and social distancing rules are being followed with considerable discipline. &nbsp;Of course, as in the rest of the world, the pandemic has caused a shut down of normal economic activity in the EU.

I am glad to say that by and large, the Indian community in Belgium and Luxembourg has stayed safe and well. As for our Mission, we have been complying with the Belgian Government’s advisories and encouraging Indian nationals and the Indian-origin community in Belgium and Luxembourg to do so as well.

Fortunately, as we are in close touch with the Indian community leaders, we were able to alert and advise them, render consular services and help many to depart from here well before the lockdown in Belgium (March 18, 2020) – which was before the announcement, by Government of India, of restrictions on travel to India.

Since then, Indian nationals who stayed back, professionals employed here and students &nbsp;- those who have contacted us seeking information or help have been attended to individually. They have been briefed about the lockdown in India – the necessary quarantine of incoming travellers and advised that till flights to India and within India are restored, the best thing to do would be to prepare for an extended stay wherever they are. In many cases, our Mission has connected stranded visitors and students with local doctors, grocers or suppliers of ready meals. As required, we have, in consultation with local authorities, assisted Indian nationals in securing an extension of their visas. In order to avoid uncertainty and stress to Indian students, our Mission’s officers swiftly liaised with universities in Belgium to provide our students accurate information about measures being taken by them to facilitate accommodation, services etc in the unforeseen situation.

I am happy to say that our officers have received very positive feedback, and they continue to take care to reassure each caller, note the particular circumstances in each case and prioritise requests received for assisted departures.

WION: How are India and EU collaborating in the fight against COVID pandemic?

Amb Gaitri Issar Kumar: We have been consulting closely. We decided to postpone the India-EU Summit which had been scheduled for March 13, 2020; once the lockdown was announced in India, we coordinated to ensure the continued flow of essential medical supplies from India to the EU and the repatriation of European nationals. About 20,000 EU citizens in the different states of India have been assisted in taking special flights back to the EU Member States. Our Government has evacuated Indian nationals from Italy and Hague (stranded en route from US/Canada to India).

Our leaders have been speaking to each other, sharing experiences and discussing joint efforts for reviving the global economy. On March 24, 2020, Hon'ble Prime Minister received a call from H.E. Ursula Von Der Leyen, President of the European Commission – the two leaders discussed the global situation in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, PM&nbsp;expressed his condolences at the loss of life in the European Union due to COVID-19 and emphasized the need for coordination and cooperation among all nations to fight the pandemic. The PM &nbsp;spoke about the steps taken by India to contain the spread of the Coronavirus. President Von Der Leyen praised PM’s leadership in taking early measures – which, she said, had been key to containing the spread of the virus in India.

She also expressed her appreciation for the assistance rendered to the European citizens stranded in India in this situation. Von Der Leyen emphasized the importance of maintaining a steady supply of essential items - including medicines - and coordinating research as well as vaccine development; and the two leaders discussed possible cooperation, within the G-20 framework, to address the health crisis and revive global economic growth.

The EU’s High Representative in charge of the EU’s Foreign and Security Policy, Mr Josep Borrell and Hble External Affairs Minister of India have, similarly, spoken and exchanged views on the challenges India and the EU are facing respectively; and India’s &nbsp;Foreign Secretary and his EU counterpart, Mme Helga Schmid, Secretary-General of the European External Action Services have also spoken telephonically.

India and the EU, in any case, share a deep commitment to multilateralism, sustainable development, preserving a rules-based international order, rules-based international trade with WTO at its core and we have a convergence on most global issues – whether it is climate change or connectivity, EU is supportive of India’s International Solar Alliance (ISA) initiative and the Climate and Disaster Resilience Initiatives (CDRI). Now, all these are most relevant – perhaps a reprioritization of some elements of our co-operation &nbsp;– such as healthcare and research - would be necessary in response to the emerging world scenario and infusion of a greater sense of urgency in others areas - like climate change, enhancing trade and investment flows in both directions etc.

WION: Have we shared any Indian model?

Amb Gaitri Issar Kumar: As a part of our regular exchanges, our Mission here has been sharing the developments in India, briefing EU partners on the methodology that we have followed in combating SPREAD of COVID 19 in India including the macro-level response of Government since January 2020.

WION: How are Indian diplomats doing, how has diplomacy changed due to COVID?

Amb Gaitri Issar Kumar: So far we have been coping fairly well. Of course, we have been working from home. We have faced no difficulty in reaching our Embassy whenever it has been necessary to go into the office - with due precautions. We have meticulously complied with the local Government’s advisories and ensured that the Indian Mission and community co-operate and contribute to making the Belgian Government’s containment strategy work. One of our main priorities, naturally, has been to co-ordinate closely local authorities in assisting the Indian diaspora with their visa issues and resolving any other problems faced by stranded Indians.

We are engaging – almost as smoothly as before - with our counterparts in the Foreign Ministries of Belgium and Luxembourg and the European Commission/European External Action Services in the context of our normal diplomatic work. However, naturally, it is not business as usual; for example, we have certainly lost valuable time in implementing the India-EU Road Map due to the postponement of the 15th India EU Summit. But we remain positive and look forward to a strengthened India-EU partnership. But we all agree that in diplomacy, face to face meetings and negotiations are almost indispensable. So much of communication relies on a personal touch. Presently we are drawing on a bank of goodwill built-in energetic pre-COVID diplomatic efforts.

India has briefed European Union on the methodology it is following in combating the spread of COVID-19 including "macro-level response of the government since January 2020".

India has briefed European Union on the methodology it is following in combating the spread of COVID-19 including "macro-level response of the government since January 2020". Speaking to WION's Principal diplomatic correspondent Sidhant Sibal, India's envoy to EU Gaitri Issar Kumar said mission swiftly liaised with universities in Belgium to provide Indian students on accommodation, services etc and New Delhi has made sure that continued flow of essential medical supplies from India to the EU. WION: How is the situation in EU now and role played by the Indian mission in Brussels in taking care of Indian citizens? Amb Gaitri Issar Kumar: The EU has been affected more directly in a way, as the virus seems to have reached directly and spread very rapidly in Europe – first in Italy followed by Spain, Belgium, Germany and the other EU Member States. Today, the situation in the EU, after a worrisome period, seems to be improving as per reports. The lockdown and containment measures – including the closing of borders -- though challenging for EU citizens and governments alike, have proven to be successful. The EU leadership quickly took steps to ensure the uninterrupted flow of essential supplies through the EU’s internal borders by creating “green lanes” and that helped to avoid shortages in supermarkets across the EU. Healthcare systems are being revamped across the European Union, people seem to have settled down into the new normal and social distancing rules are being followed with considerable discipline. Of course, as in the rest of the world, the pandemic has caused a shut down of normal economic activity in the EU. I am glad to say that by and large, the Indian community in Belgium and Luxembourg has stayed safe and well. As for our Mission, we have been complying with the Belgian Government’s advisories and encouraging Indian nationals and the Indian-origin community in Belgium and Luxembourg to do so as well. Fortunately, as we are in close touch with the Indian community leaders, we were able to alert and advise them, render consular services and help many to depart from here well before the lockdown in Belgium (March 18, 2020) – which was before the announcement, by Government of India, of restrictions on travel to India. Since then, Indian nationals who stayed back, professionals employed here and students - those who have contacted us seeking information or help have been attended to individually. They have been briefed about the lockdown in India – the necessary quarantine of incoming travellers and advised that till flights to India and within India are restored, the best thing to do would be to prepare for an extended stay wherever they are. In many cases, our Mission has connected stranded visitors and students with local doctors, grocers or suppliers of ready meals. As required, we have, in consultation with local authorities, assisted Indian nationals in securing an extension of their visas. In order to avoid uncertainty and stress to Indian students, our Mission’s officers swiftly liaised with universities in Belgium to provide our students accurate information about measures being taken by them to facilitate accommodation, services etc in the unforeseen situation. I am happy to say that our officers have received very positive feedback, and they continue to take care to reassure each caller, note the particular circumstances in each case and prioritise requests received for assisted departures. WION: How are India and EU collaborating in the fight against COVID pandemic? Amb Gaitri Issar Kumar: We have been consulting closely. We decided to postpone the India-EU Summit which had been scheduled for March 13, 2020; once the lockdown was announced in India, we coordinated to ensure the continued flow of essential medical supplies from India to the EU and the repatriation of European nationals. About 20,000 EU citizens in the different states of India have been assisted in taking special flights back to the EU Member States. Our Government has evacuated Indian nationals from Italy and Hague (stranded en route from US/Canada to India). Our leaders have been speaking to each other, sharing experiences and discussing joint efforts for reviving the global economy. On March 24, 2020, Hon'ble Prime Minister received a call from H.E. Ursula Von Der Leyen, President of the European Commission – the two leaders discussed the global situation in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, PM expressed his condolences at the loss of life in the European Union due to COVID-19 and emphasized the need for coordination and cooperation among all nations to fight the pandemic. The PM spoke about the steps taken by India to contain the spread of the Coronavirus. President Von Der Leyen praised PM’s leadership in taking early measures – which, she said, had been key to containing the spread of the virus in India. She also expressed her appreciation for the assistance rendered to the European citizens stranded in India in this situation. Von Der Leyen emphasized the importance of maintaining a steady supply of essential items - including medicines - and coordinating research as well as vaccine development; and the two leaders discussed possible cooperation, within the G-20 framework, to address the health crisis and revive global economic growth. The EU’s High Representative in charge of the EU’s Foreign and Security Policy, Mr Josep Borrell and Hble External Affairs Minister of India have, similarly, spoken and exchanged views on the challenges India and the EU are facing respectively; and India’s Foreign Secretary and his EU counterpart, Mme Helga Schmid, Secretary-General of the European External Action Services have also spoken telephonically. India and the EU, in any case, share a deep commitment to multilateralism, sustainable development, preserving a rules-based international order, rules-based international trade with WTO at its core and we have a convergence on most global issues – whether it is climate change or connectivity, EU is supportive of India’s International Solar Alliance (ISA) initiative and the Climate and Disaster Resilience Initiatives (CDRI). Now, all these are most relevant – perhaps a reprioritization of some elements of our co-operation – such as healthcare and research - would be necessary in response to the emerging world scenario and infusion of a greater sense of urgency in others areas - like climate change, enhancing trade and investment flows in both directions etc. WION: Have we shared any Indian model? Amb Gaitri Issar Kumar: As a part of our regular exchanges, our Mission here has been sharing the developments in India, briefing EU partners on the methodology that we have followed in combating SPREAD of COVID 19 in India including the macro-level response of Government since January 2020. WION: How are Indian diplomats doing, how has diplomacy changed due to COVID? Amb Gaitri Issar Kumar: So far we have been coping fairly well. Of course, we have been working from home. We have faced no difficulty in reaching our Embassy whenever it has been necessary to go into the office - with due precautions. We have meticulously complied with the local Government’s advisories and ensured that the Indian Mission and community co-operate and contribute to making the Belgian Government’s containment strategy work. One of our main priorities, naturally, has been to co-ordinate closely local authorities in assisting the Indian diaspora with their visa issues and resolving any other problems faced by stranded Indians. We are engaging – almost as smoothly as before - with our counterparts in the Foreign Ministries of Belgium and Luxembourg and the European Commission/European External Action Services in the context of our normal diplomatic work. However, naturally, it is not business as usual; for example, we have certainly lost valuable time in implementing the India-EU Road Map due to the postponement of the 15th India EU Summit. But we remain positive and look forward to a strengthened India-EU partnership. But we all agree that in diplomacy, face to face meetings and negotiations are almost indispensable. So much of communication relies on a personal touch. Presently we are drawing on a bank of goodwill built-in energetic pre-COVID diplomatic efforts.

India briefed EU on methodology followed in combating spread of COVID-19: India's envoy to EU Gaitri Issar Kumar

Gulf countries have assured India that they will have zero tolerance to any attempts to create discord after a sudden spike was seen in a number of fake Twitter handles of Arabic royalties emerged tweeting anti-India material.

It was conveyed to external affairs minister S Jaishankar during his phone conversations with foreign ministers of five&nbsp;West Asian countries to greet them on the beginning of the holy month of Ramazan.

India's EAM spoke to the foreign minister of&nbsp;Saudi Arabia and Oman on April 23 and FMs of Qatar, UAE and Palestine on April 24. He had earlier spoken to FMs of Bahrain, Kuwait and Algeria.

Sources told WION, "Gulf countries are very sensitive to attempts to create social disharmony and have zero tolerance in this regard." and "negative social media posts from fake handles have come in for adverse attention of these governments."

Earlier this week it emerged that a Twitter handle @ pak_fauj had changed its name to Omani Royalty and tweeted anti-India propaganda which was quoted by many in Pakistan. The Omani Princess issued a statement later clarifying someone is impersonating her.

During the EAM's conversation with FMs of the Gulf region both sides realised&nbsp;that such attempts are also "intended to create discord in the special relations that exist between India and countries of the region"

The foreign minister of the Gulf cooperation council countries also appreciated the "rich contributions made by Indians living and working in their respective countries to its growth and prosperity" with EAM thanking them for going the "extra mile in taking care of the welfare of Indians in these trying times".

Jointly dealing with the COVID-19 crisis dominated the talks with appreciation being expressed for India for sending medicines.

Many Gulf countries have requested essential&nbsp;medicines like Hydroxychloroquine and paracetamol with New Delhi sending aid and supplies to the region on a commercial basis. India is sending Hydroxychloroquine to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Egypt and Palestine.

As part of outreach to the extended neighbourhood, India sent its rapid response teams to Kuwait to help the country deal with the COVID-19&nbsp;crisis.

The discussion also focused on the oil prices and its implications given the fact that India is a key market for crude from the Gulf.

New Delhi has also told them that it will give "sympathetic consideration" to the request of some Gulf countries to allow their medical personnel stranded in India to go back.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to nine West Asian leaders on COVID-19. These include Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Palestine, Jordan and&nbsp;Eqypt.

During the talks, PM Modi spoke at length on the priority New Delhi attached to "Think West" and emphasised on the need for coordinated efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gulf countries have assured India that they will have zero tolerance to any attempts to create discord after a sudden spike was seen in a number of fake Twitter handles of Arabic royalties emerged tweeting anti-India material.

Gulf countries have assured India that they will have zero tolerance to any attempts to create discord after a sudden spike was seen in a number of fake Twitter handles of Arabic royalties emerged tweeting anti-India material. It was conveyed to external affairs minister S Jaishankar during his phone conversations with foreign ministers of five West Asian countries to greet them on the beginning of the holy month of Ramazan. India's EAM spoke to the foreign minister of Saudi Arabia and Oman on April 23 and FMs of Qatar, UAE and Palestine on April 24. He had earlier spoken to FMs of Bahrain, Kuwait and Algeria. Sources told WION, "Gulf countries are very sensitive to attempts to create social disharmony and have zero tolerance in this regard." and "negative social media posts from fake handles have come in for adverse attention of these governments." Earlier this week it emerged that a Twitter handle @ pak_fauj had changed its name to Omani Royalty and tweeted anti-India propaganda which was quoted by many in Pakistan. The Omani Princess issued a statement later clarifying someone is impersonating her. During the EAM's conversation with FMs of the Gulf region both sides realised that such attempts are also "intended to create discord in the special relations that exist between India and countries of the region" The foreign minister of the Gulf cooperation council countries also appreciated the "rich contributions made by Indians living and working in their respective countries to its growth and prosperity" with EAM thanking them for going the "extra mile in taking care of the welfare of Indians in these trying times". Jointly dealing with the COVID-19 crisis dominated the talks with appreciation being expressed for India for sending medicines. Many Gulf countries have requested essential medicines like Hydroxychloroquine and paracetamol with New Delhi sending aid and supplies to the region on a commercial basis. India is sending Hydroxychloroquine to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Egypt and Palestine. As part of outreach to the extended neighbourhood, India sent its rapid response teams to Kuwait to help the country deal with the COVID-19 crisis. The discussion also focused on the oil prices and its implications given the fact that India is a key market for crude from the Gulf. New Delhi has also told them that it will give "sympathetic consideration" to the request of some Gulf countries to allow their medical personnel stranded in India to go back. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to nine West Asian leaders on COVID-19. These include Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Palestine, Jordan and Eqypt. During the talks, PM Modi spoke at length on the priority New Delhi attached to "Think West" and emphasised on the need for coordinated efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Won't let fake tweets create discord, Gulf countries assure India

India has placed an order of 9.5 lakh COVID test kits from South Korea even as focus is on increasing with a subsidiary of South Korean company starting to manufacture kits in Manesar. Speaking exclusively to our diplomatic correspondent Sidhant Sibal, Indian envoy to South Korea Sripriya Ranganathan said the aim is to "get best possible prices and the best possible quality and the shortest possible delivery schedule".She also said that the Indian Foreign Secretary and Korean vice foreign minister along with members of other Indo Pacific countries are speaking on a weekly basis on how best they can work to tackle the crisis.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/1684-coronavirus-cases-in-24-hours-confirmed-cases-nationwide-at-23077-india-health-ministry-294534">1,684 coronavirus cases in 24 hours, confirmed cases nationwide at 23,077: India health ministry</a>

Sidhant Sibal: What is the role played by the Indian mission in South Korea in taking care of Indian citizens?

Sripriya Ranganathan: Our mission in Seoul has been constantly engaged with the community right from the start of the pandemic in Korea. We have about 13000 people that include, large number of students, and they are spread out all across the country. So what we have tried to do, taking in view the advice of the Korean government, that there should be social distancing and that we should refrain from unavoidable travel and so on. We have used video conferencing and we have also used our website and social media platforms to remain in constant touch with our community. My officers have been holding weekly video conferences with representatives of all our community association as well as with student body leaders so that we are able to inform them of the advice of the periodic update that has been coming from the Korean govt and we have also been able to hear from them the kind of difficulties they are facing. We have been able to reassure them we are there whenever they have any difficulties, I think this has been very effective, in that we have managed to give our people the confidence that there is no reason for them to panic and the very positive outcome has been we have not had a single case of a positive person being defected from amongst our own community in Korea and God willing that will remain the same. We have also been supporting those of our community in need by supplying masks and hand sanitizers through various community associations when they were finding it difficult to find them in the open market. 
&nbsp; 
SS: How India &amp; South Korea are cooperating to tackle the COVID-19 crisis?

SR: I think India and the Republic of Korea have a great deal to offer each other in this time of crisis. We already have had and are continuing to have regular conversations between our leadership, our Prime Minister and Korean President had spoken on April 9, in which they had apprised each other of the respective approaches, the solution they have devised for handling the crisis in India and in Korea respectively and had also agreed that all possible assistance will be extended by both our govt to each other at this time of need. Our foreign secretary and Korean vice foreign minister have been speaking on weekly basis along with other members of the Indo pacific countries, and we have been talking about how best we can pool our, thoughts and idea and work out the way forward to get out of the crisis at the earliest. In terms of medical supplies, we are finding that there is a lot of scope of sourcing our needs, in terms of COVID test kits as well as other protective clothing and so on from Korean companies who have created a niche for themself by way of quality and price competitiveness of what they have to offer. Our ICMR has already approved the products of some of the Korean companies and many of our agencies, both central govt, and state govt agencies placed orders for about 9.5 lakh test kits, we are expecting around 2 million tests kits to be sourced from Korea in the coming weeks, we are also hoping very much that Korean companies will be able to manufacture from India so that our needs for much needed medical supplies can be met from India. In fact, one of the Korean companies has made a beginning in this direction. Its Indian subsidiary has started manufacturing from its Manesar plant for COVID-19 test kits, this company has received its licence from ICMR on April 14 and it has started manufacturing from April 20. Looking ahead, I expect that Indian and Korean research institutions and scientists alike will be able to work together so that they are able the leverage the respective strengthens in coming up with innovative solutions that will help our govts in addressing this pandemic.&nbsp;

SS: What are we are purchasing in terms of PPE or ventilators from South Korea? 
SR: As I mentioned a short while ago, at the moment, we have negotiated for picking up of a large number of COVID-19 test kits from Korean companies, this has been possible because there are a number of Korean companies that have reoriented there manufacturing to start producing COVID-19 test kits, and also because these companies have got the requisite certification and so on and are also authorized to export by the Korean government, this apart, we have also been looking at how far Korean companies can meet our country's need of protective clothing, mask, gloves, ventilators and so on. What the embassy has been doing is to work on the basis of requirements that have been indicated to our ministry by ICMR, try to find the companies that are qualified and have the necessary background and experience to supply these items and are constantly keeping our ICMR informed of the products that are available here, the technical specifications, prices and so on and once ICMR works out what are the products that are most suitable, most required by our people, we are proceeding to negotiate further with those companies so that we are able to get best possible prices and the best possible quality and the shortest possible delivery schedule from these companies. We have been working in constant coordination with our ministry, with the ICMR, with other central govt agencies, with various state govt agencies in this very important exercise.

SS: What do you think about the South Korea model and have we shared any Indian model? 
SR: I must say the South Korean Government's strategy, which is the 3-T strategy--testing, &nbsp;tracing and treating has been very very effective in enabling the govt to bring the outbreak under check. They have used a lot of technology in the efforts, which is focused on aggressive and early testing to the widest possible degree. They have used technology, which includes GPS data, CCTV data, credit card transactions data to map the movement of people who have been detected as COVID-19 positive, put this information out very widely through the messaging system, local district offices and social media platforms. As a result of this and as a result of the wholehearted cooperation, which the people of Korea have given to the govt in the effort they have really managed to bring down the number of new cases to an amazing degree and today cases of less than 10 are added per day, which I think is remarkable by any standards. At the same time, the kind of steps, we have taken in India which includes, the prime minister's call for a Janta curfew, the lockdown we have managed to implement in our country this has won respect in Korea for what we are trying to do, given the size of our population and the scale of operation we have to undertake and there is a lot of optimism that these measures will help us keep the virus under check in our own country. In so far, what we have in common, there is shared faith in the traditional system of medicines, traditional methods to build up immunity which will sit alongside conventional western methods of medicine. Just as we have a lot of faith in yoga and in turmeric, ginger and other such herbs in building up our immune systems in the overall psychological health of our people, the Koreans have a lot of faith in yoga and ginseng and turmeric has become quite a rage over here and in these aspects, we have a lot in common. As I have mentioned earlier, our PM has spoken to the president of Korea, our Foreign secretary and Korean vice foreign minister and other foreign secretaries of the Indo-Pacific countries are speaking on the regular basis and I have no doubt we will continue to share ideas, information and best practices that will enable us to work together to counter the pandemic.

SS: How are the Indian diplomats faring.. it hasn't been easy for diplomats too?

SR: It is certainly been an unusual time for all of us at the embassy, the usual methods that we used to reach out to Koreans and others in Korea have not been possible in this situation. We have been very very disciplined and clear that we have to follow the advice that has been given by Korean authorities from time to time so we have been practising social distancing and we have been rigorous in our use of hand sanitizers, mask and so on. As to the extent possible, our local staff have been encouraged to work from home, so that we are able to reduce the risk by use of public transport and enable them to continue the work while they remain safe at home. We have been using technology to do as much as we can so that we don't lose the momentum that we have gained with all our work in the past few months. This is something we have used not only in our interaction with the Indian community and others who are spread across the country but also with the people back home in India were people we have used video conference and telephone calls to keep up the momentum. This apart from our cultural centre has remained very vibrant. We have taken our yoga sessions, dance classes online, in fact, we are trying to do some experiments on providing classes on Indian cooking online. Our yoga teacher is also doing her bit to keep all off use at the embassy healthy. We have been doing our yoga every day just before lunch so that we build up our own immunity. Off course as I have mentioned earlier the embassy is continuing to work hard, to really serve as a bridge between agencies back home in India, our ministry, ICMR as well as our various state govt who are looking for support by way of sourcing of much-needed COVID-19 related material and the companies here in Korea which are qualified and certified to export many of these products. We have been liaising with people at both ends so that we are able to figure out what exactly is needed by our agencies in India and try to make the best possible match with what Koreans have to offer, so this is how we are adjusting to new COVID 19 realities. 
&nbsp;

India has placed an order of 9.5 lakh COVID test kits from South Korea even as focus is on increasing with a subsidiary of South Korean company starting to manufacture kits in Manesar.

India has placed an order of 9.5 lakh COVID test kits from South Korea even as focus is on increasing with a subsidiary of South Korean company starting to manufacture kits in Manesar. Speaking exclusively to our diplomatic correspondent Sidhant Sibal, Indian envoy to South Korea Sripriya Ranganathan said the aim is to "get best possible prices and the best possible quality and the shortest possible delivery schedule".She also said that the Indian Foreign Secretary and Korean vice foreign minister along with members of other Indo Pacific countries are speaking on a weekly basis on how best they can work to tackle the crisis. Also read | 1,684 coronavirus cases in 24 hours, confirmed cases nationwide at 23,077: India health ministry Sidhant Sibal: What is the role played by the Indian mission in South Korea in taking care of Indian citizens? Sripriya Ranganathan: Our mission in Seoul has been constantly engaged with the community right from the start of the pandemic in Korea. We have about 13000 people that include, large number of students, and they are spread out all across the country. So what we have tried to do, taking in view the advice of the Korean government, that there should be social distancing and that we should refrain from unavoidable travel and so on. We have used video conferencing and we have also used our website and social media platforms to remain in constant touch with our community. My officers have been holding weekly video conferences with representatives of all our community association as well as with student body leaders so that we are able to inform them of the advice of the periodic update that has been coming from the Korean govt and we have also been able to hear from them the kind of difficulties they are facing. We have been able to reassure them we are there whenever they have any difficulties, I think this has been very effective, in that we have managed to give our people the confidence that there is no reason for them to panic and the very positive outcome has been we have not had a single case of a positive person being defected from amongst our own community in Korea and God willing that will remain the same. We have also been supporting those of our community in need by supplying masks and hand sanitizers through various community associations when they were finding it difficult to find them in the open market. SS: How India & South Korea are cooperating to tackle the COVID-19 crisis? SR: I think India and the Republic of Korea have a great deal to offer each other in this time of crisis. We already have had and are continuing to have regular conversations between our leadership, our Prime Minister and Korean President had spoken on April 9, in which they had apprised each other of the respective approaches, the solution they have devised for handling the crisis in India and in Korea respectively and had also agreed that all possible assistance will be extended by both our govt to each other at this time of need. Our foreign secretary and Korean vice foreign minister have been speaking on weekly basis along with other members of the Indo pacific countries, and we have been talking about how best we can pool our, thoughts and idea and work out the way forward to get out of the crisis at the earliest. In terms of medical supplies, we are finding that there is a lot of scope of sourcing our needs, in terms of COVID test kits as well as other protective clothing and so on from Korean companies who have created a niche for themself by way of quality and price competitiveness of what they have to offer. Our ICMR has already approved the products of some of the Korean companies and many of our agencies, both central govt, and state govt agencies placed orders for about 9.5 lakh test kits, we are expecting around 2 million tests kits to be sourced from Korea in the coming weeks, we are also hoping very much that Korean companies will be able to manufacture from India so that our needs for much needed medical supplies can be met from India. In fact, one of the Korean companies has made a beginning in this direction. Its Indian subsidiary has started manufacturing from its Manesar plant for COVID-19 test kits, this company has received its licence from ICMR on April 14 and it has started manufacturing from April 20. Looking ahead, I expect that Indian and Korean research institutions and scientists alike will be able to work together so that they are able the leverage the respective strengthens in coming up with innovative solutions that will help our govts in addressing this pandemic. SS: What are we are purchasing in terms of PPE or ventilators from South Korea? SR: As I mentioned a short while ago, at the moment, we have negotiated for picking up of a large number of COVID-19 test kits from Korean companies, this has been possible because there are a number of Korean companies that have reoriented there manufacturing to start producing COVID-19 test kits, and also because these companies have got the requisite certification and so on and are also authorized to export by the Korean government, this apart, we have also been looking at how far Korean companies can meet our country's need of protective clothing, mask, gloves, ventilators and so on. What the embassy has been doing is to work on the basis of requirements that have been indicated to our ministry by ICMR, try to find the companies that are qualified and have the necessary background and experience to supply these items and are constantly keeping our ICMR informed of the products that are available here, the technical specifications, prices and so on and once ICMR works out what are the products that are most suitable, most required by our people, we are proceeding to negotiate further with those companies so that we are able to get best possible prices and the best possible quality and the shortest possible delivery schedule from these companies. We have been working in constant coordination with our ministry, with the ICMR, with other central govt agencies, with various state govt agencies in this very important exercise. SS: What do you think about the South Korea model and have we shared any Indian model? SR: I must say the South Korean Government's strategy, which is the 3-T strategy--testing, tracing and treating has been very very effective in enabling the govt to bring the outbreak under check. They have used a lot of technology in the efforts, which is focused on aggressive and early testing to the widest possible degree. They have used technology, which includes GPS data, CCTV data, credit card transactions data to map the movement of people who have been detected as COVID-19 positive, put this information out very widely through the messaging system, local district offices and social media platforms. As a result of this and as a result of the wholehearted cooperation, which the people of Korea have given to the govt in the effort they have really managed to bring down the number of new cases to an amazing degree and today cases of less than 10 are added per day, which I think is remarkable by any standards. At the same time, the kind of steps, we have taken in India which includes, the prime minister's call for a Janta curfew, the lockdown we have managed to implement in our country this has won respect in Korea for what we are trying to do, given the size of our population and the scale of operation we have to undertake and there is a lot of optimism that these measures will help us keep the virus under check in our own country. In so far, what we have in common, there is shared faith in the traditional system of medicines, traditional methods to build up immunity which will sit alongside conventional western methods of medicine. Just as we have a lot of faith in yoga and in turmeric, ginger and other such herbs in building up our immune systems in the overall psychological health of our people, the Koreans have a lot of faith in yoga and ginseng and turmeric has become quite a rage over here and in these aspects, we have a lot in common. As I have mentioned earlier, our PM has spoken to the president of Korea, our Foreign secretary and Korean vice foreign minister and other foreign secretaries of the Indo-Pacific countries are speaking on the regular basis and I have no doubt we will continue to share ideas, information and best practices that will enable us to work together to counter the pandemic. SS: How are the Indian diplomats faring.. it hasn't been easy for diplomats too? SR: It is certainly been an unusual time for all of us at the embassy, the usual methods that we used to reach out to Koreans and others in Korea have not been possible in this situation. We have been very very disciplined and clear that we have to follow the advice that has been given by Korean authorities from time to time so we have been practising social distancing and we have been rigorous in our use of hand sanitizers, mask and so on. As to the extent possible, our local staff have been encouraged to work from home, so that we are able to reduce the risk by use of public transport and enable them to continue the work while they remain safe at home. We have been using technology to do as much as we can so that we don't lose the momentum that we have gained with all our work in the past few months. This is something we have used not only in our interaction with the Indian community and others who are spread across the country but also with the people back home in India were people we have used video conference and telephone calls to keep up the momentum. This apart from our cultural centre has remained very vibrant. We have taken our yoga sessions, dance classes online, in fact, we are trying to do some experiments on providing classes on Indian cooking online. Our yoga teacher is also doing her bit to keep all off use at the embassy healthy. We have been doing our yoga every day just before lunch so that we build up our own immunity. Off course as I have mentioned earlier the embassy is continuing to work hard, to really serve as a bridge between agencies back home in India, our ministry, ICMR as well as our various state govt who are looking for support by way of sourcing of much-needed COVID-19 related material and the companies here in Korea which are qualified and certified to export many of these products. We have been liaising with people at both ends so that we are able to figure out what exactly is needed by our agencies in India and try to make the best possible match with what Koreans have to offer, so this is how we are adjusting to new COVID 19 realities.

EXCLUSIVE: We have placed order of 9.5 lakhs COVID-19 test kits to South Korea: Indian envoy

While the world is dealing with the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-may-have-four-times-more-covid-19-cases-than-reported-study-294601">COVID-19 </a>crisis, China earlier this month announced a new governance system for disputed islands in South China Sea that has irked not only its neighbours but has drawn sharp reactions from countries like US and Australia.&nbsp;

Earlier this month China approved the establishment of two districts to administer disputed Paracel &amp; Spratly island in the South China Sea. Each district will have a local government with the government for the Spratly island being located on Fiery Cross Reef, an area fortified by China by land reclamation. One of the new district created in Sansha city in Hainan province will administer Paracel island.&nbsp;

Before that Bejing had issued new names for 25 islands/ reef &amp; 55 undersea entities in the South China Sea in a bid to "reaffirm" its sovereignty in the region.

This has led to angry responses from the country's neighbourhood and from Washingon and Canberra. Vietnam strongly protests Chinese action saying it violates the country's sovereignty and are invalid. An angry Philippines filed a diplomatic protest at the Chinese embassy in Manila. Australian foreign minister Marise Payne while condemning China's action in South China Sea said it is "vital all countries ease tensions so they can focus on combating COVID-19."

Meanwhile, US slamming Bejing said the country is using COVID-19 distraction to further its hold in the South China Sea. US secretary of state Mike Pompeo said, "Even as we fight the outbreak, we must remember that the long-term threats to our shared security have not disappeared. In fact, they’ve become more prominent."

Explaining, "Beijing has moved to take advantage of the distraction, from China’s new unilateral announcement of administrative districts over disputed islands and maritime areas in the South China Sea, its sinking of a Vietnamese fishing vessel earlier this month, and its “research stations” on Fiery Cross Reef and Subi Reef."

He said,"important to highlight how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is exploiting the world’s focus on the COVID-19 crisis by continuing its provocative behavior" and "The CCP is exerting military pressure and coercing its neighbors in the SCS, even going so far as to sink a Vietnamese fishing vessel. The U.S. strongly opposes China’s bullying and we hope other nations will hold them to account too."

Japan has also lodged a strong protest with the Chinese government ship crossing into Japanese territorial waters near Senkaku Island in East China sea. Tokyo says 4 Chinese coast guard vessels have sailed in the area for 90 minutes. China claims ownership over senkaku island and calls them as diaoyu.

While the world is dealing with the COVID-19 crisis, China earlier this month announced a new governance system for disputed islands in South China Sea that has irked not only its neighbours but has drawn sharp reactions from countries like US and Australia.

While the world is dealing with the COVID-19 crisis, China earlier this month announced a new governance system for disputed islands in South China Sea that has irked not only its neighbours but has drawn sharp reactions from countries like US and Australia. Earlier this month China approved the establishment of two districts to administer disputed Paracel & Spratly island in the South China Sea. Each district will have a local government with the government for the Spratly island being located on Fiery Cross Reef, an area fortified by China by land reclamation. One of the new district created in Sansha city in Hainan province will administer Paracel island. Before that Bejing had issued new names for 25 islands/ reef & 55 undersea entities in the South China Sea in a bid to "reaffirm" its sovereignty in the region. This has led to angry responses from the country's neighbourhood and from Washingon and Canberra. Vietnam strongly protests Chinese action saying it violates the country's sovereignty and are invalid. An angry Philippines filed a diplomatic protest at the Chinese embassy in Manila. Australian foreign minister Marise Payne while condemning China's action in South China Sea said it is "vital all countries ease tensions so they can focus on combating COVID-19." Meanwhile, US slamming Bejing said the country is using COVID-19 distraction to further its hold in the South China Sea. US secretary of state Mike Pompeo said, "Even as we fight the outbreak, we must remember that the long-term threats to our shared security have not disappeared. In fact, they’ve become more prominent." Explaining, "Beijing has moved to take advantage of the distraction, from China’s new unilateral announcement of administrative districts over disputed islands and maritime areas in the South China Sea, its sinking of a Vietnamese fishing vessel earlier this month, and its “research stations” on Fiery Cross Reef and Subi Reef." He said,"important to highlight how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is exploiting the world’s focus on the COVID-19 crisis by continuing its provocative behavior" and "The CCP is exerting military pressure and coercing its neighbors in the SCS, even going so far as to sink a Vietnamese fishing vessel. The U.S. strongly opposes China’s bullying and we hope other nations will hold them to account too." Japan has also lodged a strong protest with the Chinese government ship crossing into Japanese territorial waters near Senkaku Island in East China sea. Tokyo says 4 Chinese coast guard vessels have sailed in the area for 90 minutes. China claims ownership over senkaku island and calls them as diaoyu.

China exploiting world’s focus on COVID-19, Pompeo on South China Sea dispute

Reacting to the reports of social media profiles changing&nbsp;names to the Arab royalty, India said that attempts are being made to create discord in the special relations between India and the Gulf

Highlighting the impersonation of Omani Princess Mona bint Fahd al Said by a Pakistani twitter ID, sources said, "it clearly demonstrates that it is deliberate attempt to disturb social harmony in India and in that region".

"Attempts to create discord in the special relations between India and the Gulf,"&nbsp;

Meanwhile, Indian missions have appealed to the Indian community not to be swayed by such propaganda.&nbsp;

"The friendly relations between India and Oman are underpinned by our shared values of tolerance and pluralism. Let us all commit to maintaining unity and social harmony at this critical juncture," The Indian mission in Oman said o Twitter.

Asking Indian community in the country to "stay focused and united in our fight against COVID-19", mission asked "not get distracted by fake news on social media with malicious intentions".

Omani Princess Mona bint Fahd who was impersonated has issued a statement clarifying the uproar created by the fake handle which even had parody written in its bio.&nbsp;

In the statement, she said, "Friends, First of all, I thank you for your concern to verify the offensive post published through an account impersonating me, which you are sure that I have no connection with it."

"With full trust in all of you in strengthening awareness among all regarding such activities, which are not acceptable to the Omani society, I confirm again that my presence in social media is restricted on the following accounts: @hhmonaalsaid and @MonaFahad 13," she added.

Indian envoy to Oman Munu Mahawar thanked the Omani princes for clarification on Twitter and wrote India values its "friendly relations with Oman and will continue working closely with the Government and people of Oman to further strengthen our special relationship."

A Pakistani profile with username @pak_fauj changed its name to Omani Royalty Mona bint Fahd al Said @SayyidaMona and on Wednesday and tweeted anti-India rant, which went viral, by design. The tweet was retweeted by many including by Pakistani media personnel.

Twitter gives the option of changing one's twitter name, username and description but its history is not managed publicly.&nbsp;

Another fake twitter handle emerged of a so-called Saudi Princess Noura Bint Faisal coming out with anti-India stuff but it was a no brainer to find the account was previously by the name @idanialusaf.

Sources also slammed Organisation of Islamic Cooperation's anti-India statement saying "It is deeply regrettable OIC continues to make a factually incorrect and misleading statement" advising the grouping not to "communalise fight against COVID-19".

Reacting to the reports of social media profiles changing names to the Arab royalty, India said that attempts are being made to create discord in the special relations between India and the Gulf Highlighting the impersonation of Omani Princess Mona bint Fahd al Said by a Pakistani twitter ID, sources said, "it clearly demonstrates that it is deliberate attempt to disturb social harmony in India and in that region".

Reacting to the reports of social media profiles changing names to the Arab royalty, India said that attempts are being made to create discord in the special relations between India and the Gulf Highlighting the impersonation of Omani Princess Mona bint Fahd al Said by a Pakistani twitter ID, sources said, "it clearly demonstrates that it is deliberate attempt to disturb social harmony in India and in that region". "Attempts to create discord in the special relations between India and the Gulf," Meanwhile, Indian missions have appealed to the Indian community not to be swayed by such propaganda. "The friendly relations between India and Oman are underpinned by our shared values of tolerance and pluralism. Let us all commit to maintaining unity and social harmony at this critical juncture," The Indian mission in Oman said o Twitter. Asking Indian community in the country to "stay focused and united in our fight against COVID-19", mission asked "not get distracted by fake news on social media with malicious intentions". Omani Princess Mona bint Fahd who was impersonated has issued a statement clarifying the uproar created by the fake handle which even had parody written in its bio. In the statement, she said, "Friends, First of all, I thank you for your concern to verify the offensive post published through an account impersonating me, which you are sure that I have no connection with it." "With full trust in all of you in strengthening awareness among all regarding such activities, which are not acceptable to the Omani society, I confirm again that my presence in social media is restricted on the following accounts: @hhmonaalsaid and @MonaFahad 13," she added. Indian envoy to Oman Munu Mahawar thanked the Omani princes for clarification on Twitter and wrote India values its "friendly relations with Oman and will continue working closely with the Government and people of Oman to further strengthen our special relationship." A Pakistani profile with username @pak_fauj changed its name to Omani Royalty Mona bint Fahd al Said @SayyidaMona and on Wednesday and tweeted anti-India rant, which went viral, by design. The tweet was retweeted by many including by Pakistani media personnel. Twitter gives the option of changing one's twitter name, username and description but its history is not managed publicly. Another fake twitter handle emerged of a so-called Saudi Princess Noura Bint Faisal coming out with anti-India stuff but it was a no brainer to find the account was previously by the name @idanialusaf. Sources also slammed Organisation of Islamic Cooperation's anti-India statement saying "It is deeply regrettable OIC continues to make a factually incorrect and misleading statement" advising the grouping not to "communalise fight against COVID-19".

Attempts to create discord in India-Gulf relations, says India on fake Twitter handles of Arab royalty

Russia on Wednesday praised India for sending medicines as it described the decision as "noble". It also said that this friendly gesture would be reciprocated. Speaking to WION's Diplomatic Correspondent Sidhant Sibal, Russian envoy to India Nikolay Kudashev praised India's "comprehensive efforts" and said that it resulted in significant "decrease in the rate of infection" in the country.

Russia on Wednesday praised India for sending medicines as it described the decision as "noble". It also said that this friendly gesture would be reciprocated. Speaking to WION's Diplomatic Correspondent Sidhant Sibal, Russian envoy to India Nikolay Kudashev praised India's "comprehensive efforts" and said that it resulted in significant "decrease in the rate of infection" in the country. WION: COVID-19 crisis is something that is caused by a great deal of uncertainty. How is Moscow and New Delhi collaborating to deal with the crisis? Nikolay Kudashev: Continous spread of COVID-19 infection is a global challenge. In this battle, Russia and India fight a common enemy. We follow closely steps taken by the union governments and regional administrations. These comprehensive efforts resulted in a significant decrease in the rate of infection and we see a number of recoveries growing. In Russia too, the government introduced various measures to tackle the diseases, apart from lockdown and social distancing measures, additional hospitals are being operated, vaccines are tested which help in preventing the unchecked spread of the infection. Of course, people are at the centre of all our efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. While keeping in mind the safety of people in Russia, we also remember the citizens stranded abroad in lockdown. The embassy of Russia with the help of Indian authorities facilitated the repatriation of our tourist from India. So far about 1700 left India onboard special charted flights organised by the Russian government from Delhi and Goa from different cities and destinations of Russia. More flights are expected. At the same time, the Russian govt has provided support to Indian stranded in Russia, to ensure their safety. The Russian ministry of the interior ministry extended the visas of Indian nationals. WION: Termed as 'game-changer' in the battle against coronavirus, India is sending hydrocholoquine around the world. It will be sent to Russia also, how do you see it. And, any collaboration at BRICS Level? Nikolay Kudashev: The generous decision of the government of India to lift the ban on the export of important medicines to treat COVID-19 patients despite the increased demand in this country was very much appreciated in Russia. Be sure, it will be reciprocated. In our understanding, the conducive atmosphere for this noble decision was created during earlier contact of our leaders, PM Vladimir Putin and PM Modi followed by conversation and contact between top diplomats. We create a framework of cooperation within the United Nations, G20 and BRICS and we will push this close cooperation further in coming days. I am sure together we will be able to defeat the infection.

India's decision to send hydrocholoquine is 'noble'; it will be reciprocated: Russia

Recalling India's move on SAARC for a regional strategy, Delhi has appreciated Islamabad finally showing enthusiasm for regional calls on COVID-19. Pakistan on Thursday hosted a meet on <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/death-toll-in-pakistan-due-to-coronavirus-rises-to-212-punjab-sindh-worst-affected-294307">COVID-19</a> pandemic in which the country had invited all the SAARC countries. India had participated in the meet.

Sources said, "Good to see Pak has realized the merit of regional cooperation and joining the initiative."

IPrime Minister Modi had called for SAARC video conference in March which sources said "regional cooperation is an important part of dealing with COVID-19" and since the meet, SAARC emergency fund has been established and "meaningful talks of health and commerce minister" have happened.&nbsp;

SAARC emergency fund has a corpus of $18 million&nbsp;with India's contribution being&nbsp;$10 million.&nbsp;

Pakistan was initially hesitant with the meet, sending junior advisor for the SAARC head of state video conference meet.

The country was last to announce its contribution for the SAARC COVID-19 meet. It also did not participate in SAARC agriculture meet on COVID-19 citing non-involvement of SAARC secretariat even though rest of the countries participated.

Recalling India's move on SAARC for a regional strategy, Delhi has appreciated Islamabad finally showing enthusiasm for regional calls on COVID-19. Pakistan on Thursday hosted a meet on COVID-19 pandemic in which the country had invited all the SAARC countries.

Recalling India's move on SAARC for a regional strategy, Delhi has appreciated Islamabad finally showing enthusiasm for regional calls on COVID-19. Pakistan on Thursday hosted a meet on COVID-19 pandemic in which the country had invited all the SAARC countries. India had participated in the meet. Sources said, "Good to see Pak has realized the merit of regional cooperation and joining the initiative." IPrime Minister Modi had called for SAARC video conference in March which sources said "regional cooperation is an important part of dealing with COVID-19" and since the meet, SAARC emergency fund has been established and "meaningful talks of health and commerce minister" have happened. SAARC emergency fund has a corpus of $18 million with India's contribution being $10 million. Pakistan was initially hesitant with the meet, sending junior advisor for the SAARC head of state video conference meet. The country was last to announce its contribution for the SAARC COVID-19 meet. It also did not participate in SAARC agriculture meet on COVID-19 citing non-involvement of SAARC secretariat even though rest of the countries participated.

Good to see Pakistan joining regional initiatives, India on Pak inviting SAARC countries for COVID-19 meet

Indian envoy to Japan Sanjay Kumar Verma has said that Indian and Japanese scientist&nbsp;are in touch with each other for a solution to the COVID-19 crisis.

Speaking to our diplomatic correspondent Sidhant Sibal, envoy Sanjay Verma said&nbsp;Japanese PM Abe has "expressed his respect&nbsp;for PM Modi for demonstrating leadership in the South Asian region such as by hosting summit by video conference".

He also spoke about how the mission has reached out to the Indian community who are stranded&nbsp;saying no decision has been taken with regard for Indians nationals who want to go back to India and logistics and other arrangements still have to be put in place.

WION: How Indian mission is taking care of Indians in Japan.

Sanjay Kumar Verma: I would like to congratulate&nbsp;WION for doing a series of interviews with Indian envoys who are facing the brunt of COVID19 pandemic, trying to reach out the larger Indian diaspora everywhere in the world.

As far as Japan is concerned, it has close to about 40,000 Indians, resident here and the number had gone up by about 4000 last year itself.

Out of this number, 2000 are students who are pursuing there under graduations, post graduations&nbsp;and doctoral&nbsp;courses.

We are in regular contact with most of them, we have already publicised&nbsp;our hotline number on our website and other social media handles and we are glad to inform you we are receiving the number of calls and emails from those Indians who have got any concern regarding the stay in Japan.

Our consulate general, in Osaka, is also doing the same and we do talk to each other often to keep our policy outreach and initiatives&nbsp;convergent to each other.

Largely we are trying to tell our fellow citizens to avoid any panic or misinformation while following instructions of Japanese authorities and keep up with prescribed&nbsp;precautions to protect themselves and maintain a good immunity of themselves.

Very recently, the ministry of Ayush has adopted&nbsp;yoga and Ayurveda protocol to boost immunity and that is something that is practised&nbsp;extensively by Indians and very many Japanese here. Video of PM Modi on yoga has attracted a lot of attention by Indians in Japan&nbsp;and many of them following routine and protocol as demonstrated by the honourable PM.

Various kinds of concern and it is not abnormal to have such concerns, many of them have already finished designated courses in universities and engineering&nbsp;colleges and they are eager to go back to India. Another category of Indians, who are temporary&nbsp;residents here and largely short term professionals&nbsp;and visiting business personnel in addition to students and researchers who are facing restrictions&nbsp;of travel and are unable to go back to India at the moment.

We are trying to extend as much help possible to them, including advise and logistics&nbsp;supports as well. We have been able to talk to some of the vendors who have been able to subside accommodation. There has been an&nbsp;issue for some of them running out of medications they had brought from India.

We helped in that as well, on the basis of prescription they have been able to procure such medicines from the Japanese market. Also, many issues on visa extensions and we actively collaborated with Japanese authorities and we were able to get visa extensions&nbsp;easily, and I am glad to share with&nbsp;you, we do not know any Indian who has approached us for visa extension and has not been able to get it done.

So in general, there are Indian nationals&nbsp;who have a concern and those concerns are taken care of. There are Indians nationals who want to go back to India but for that logistics and other arrangements have to be put in place only when the decision&nbsp;in that respect is taken.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/send-us-home-plead-220-indians-stranded-in-japan-amid-coronavirus-pandemic-293777">Also read:&nbsp;'Send us home', plead 220 Indians stranded in Japan amid coronavirus pandemic</a>

WION: How is the NRI community helping in the mission's efforts?&nbsp;

Sanjay Kumar Verma: Indians residing in Japan are actually the extensions of our helping hand to fellow Indians and I must put it on record that all Indian associations all over Japan have been proactive&nbsp;and have been talking to us, have been liaising&nbsp;with us, thereby reaching to stranded Indians or Indians in difficulty or helping them out, whichever&nbsp;way they can.

Such helping hands have been highly appreciated and we have been able to get them on virtual platforms&nbsp;and meet them on virtual platforms, talk to them. Decimate&nbsp;information, facts, and they take&nbsp;it upon themself to decimate further to there members and that has worked very well and we happy to collaborate with Indian associations in Japan.&nbsp;

WION:&nbsp;How are India and Japan cooperating in the containment of COVID-19 crisis.&nbsp;

Sanjay Kumar Verma: India and Japan have the unique advantage of having a special strategic global partnership. We are working very closely&nbsp;to address the humanitarian crisis emanating from COVID-19&nbsp;pandemic and to find ways to minimise the impact on our societies. and economies.

This has been done bilaterally, both PMs spoke&nbsp;to each other and exchanged notes and exchanged&nbsp;details of best practises which are being followed. That was done on April 10 and they exchanged notes again on the G20 platform and a lot of global consensus and challenges emerging out of COVID-19 pandemic.

PM Abe of Japan expressed his respect&nbsp;for PM Modi for demonstrating leadership in south Asian region such as by hosting summit by video conference and establishing emergency fund besides expressing gratitude&nbsp;for Indian govt's&nbsp;assistance in facilitating the departure of stranded Japanese&nbsp;nationals in India and asked for our continues and continued cooperation in that respect.

We have earlier seen a situation in which many Indians nationals were crew&nbsp;members on luxury&nbsp;cruiseliner&nbsp;diamond princess were evacuated from Japan. PM Modi thanked the Japanese govt for the assistance they provided&nbsp;for the evacuation&nbsp;in February.

As far as the scientific community&nbsp;is concerned, they are in regular touch for scientific and technological intervention that could be thought of in order to&nbsp;control the situation better.&nbsp;

WION: What is India's view about the Japan model and have shared the Indian model?

Sanjay Kumar Verma: Japan model focuses on containment and suppression based on clusters and we can see from the data which comes out from Japanese official&nbsp;systems, it shows a good achievement and result and this has been able to restrict the number of cases in Japan which about 1/10th of India's population.

We have shared the best practices&nbsp;which have been followed in India as well which has been received&nbsp;with great appreciation&nbsp;by Japanese officials and leadership.

We have also&nbsp;talked about the traditional&nbsp;Indian medicine practices in Ayurveda and traditional&nbsp;Indian practices such as Yoga in order to increase the immunity of a person so that COVID 19 infection can be warded off. This has been received very well by the Japanese society at large.&nbsp;

Sidhant Sibal: How are Indian diplomats faring?

Sanjay Kumar Verma: Diplomats are the one who are most of the time at the frontline in such a situation&nbsp;and I am very glad to share that Indian embassy in Tokyo and the consulate general of India in Osaka have been doing whatever they can in order to secure the wellbeing of each and every Indian national in Japan.

We have been advising them, we have been facilitating them, we have been trying to find solutions to the problems, unique&nbsp;or collective and all these things have been able to make there lives in Japan easier. As far as diplomats in these 2 Indian missions are concerned, I have the only word of appreciation for all of them.

They have been helping out, both the govt and Indians nationals in Japan while maintaining and taking all the precautions that they are required to take to avoid getting infected themselves.

We hope that this helping hand will go a long way in comforting our nationals in Japan as well as in further solidifying the bilateral&nbsp;relationship between Japan and India.

Indian envoy to Japan Sanjay Kumar Verma has said that Indian and Japanese scientist are in touch with each other for a solution to the COVID-19 crisis. Speaking to our diplomatic correspondent Sidhant Sibal, envoy Sanjay Verma said Japanese PM Abe has "expressed his respect for PM Modi for demonstrating leadership in the South Asian region such as by hosting summit by video conference".

Indian envoy to Japan Sanjay Kumar Verma has said that Indian and Japanese scientist are in touch with each other for a solution to the COVID-19 crisis. Speaking to our diplomatic correspondent Sidhant Sibal, envoy Sanjay Verma said Japanese PM Abe has "expressed his respect for PM Modi for demonstrating leadership in the South Asian region such as by hosting summit by video conference". He also spoke about how the mission has reached out to the Indian community who are stranded saying no decision has been taken with regard for Indians nationals who want to go back to India and logistics and other arrangements still have to be put in place. WION: How Indian mission is taking care of Indians in Japan. Sanjay Kumar Verma: I would like to congratulate WION for doing a series of interviews with Indian envoys who are facing the brunt of COVID19 pandemic, trying to reach out the larger Indian diaspora everywhere in the world. As far as Japan is concerned, it has close to about 40,000 Indians, resident here and the number had gone up by about 4000 last year itself. Out of this number, 2000 are students who are pursuing there under graduations, post graduations and doctoral courses. We are in regular contact with most of them, we have already publicised our hotline number on our website and other social media handles and we are glad to inform you we are receiving the number of calls and emails from those Indians who have got any concern regarding the stay in Japan. Our consulate general, in Osaka, is also doing the same and we do talk to each other often to keep our policy outreach and initiatives convergent to each other. Largely we are trying to tell our fellow citizens to avoid any panic or misinformation while following instructions of Japanese authorities and keep up with prescribed precautions to protect themselves and maintain a good immunity of themselves. Very recently, the ministry of Ayush has adopted yoga and Ayurveda protocol to boost immunity and that is something that is practised extensively by Indians and very many Japanese here. Video of PM Modi on yoga has attracted a lot of attention by Indians in Japan and many of them following routine and protocol as demonstrated by the honourable PM. Various kinds of concern and it is not abnormal to have such concerns, many of them have already finished designated courses in universities and engineering colleges and they are eager to go back to India. Another category of Indians, who are temporary residents here and largely short term professionals and visiting business personnel in addition to students and researchers who are facing restrictions of travel and are unable to go back to India at the moment. We are trying to extend as much help possible to them, including advise and logistics supports as well. We have been able to talk to some of the vendors who have been able to subside accommodation. There has been an issue for some of them running out of medications they had brought from India. We helped in that as well, on the basis of prescription they have been able to procure such medicines from the Japanese market. Also, many issues on visa extensions and we actively collaborated with Japanese authorities and we were able to get visa extensions easily, and I am glad to share with you, we do not know any Indian who has approached us for visa extension and has not been able to get it done. So in general, there are Indian nationals who have a concern and those concerns are taken care of. There are Indians nationals who want to go back to India but for that logistics and other arrangements have to be put in place only when the decision in that respect is taken. Also read: 'Send us home', plead 220 Indians stranded in Japan amid coronavirus pandemic WION: How is the NRI community helping in the mission's efforts? Sanjay Kumar Verma: Indians residing in Japan are actually the extensions of our helping hand to fellow Indians and I must put it on record that all Indian associations all over Japan have been proactive and have been talking to us, have been liaising with us, thereby reaching to stranded Indians or Indians in difficulty or helping them out, whichever way they can. Such helping hands have been highly appreciated and we have been able to get them on virtual platforms and meet them on virtual platforms, talk to them. Decimate information, facts, and they take it upon themself to decimate further to there members and that has worked very well and we happy to collaborate with Indian associations in Japan. WION: How are India and Japan cooperating in the containment of COVID-19 crisis. Sanjay Kumar Verma: India and Japan have the unique advantage of having a special strategic global partnership. We are working very closely to address the humanitarian crisis emanating from COVID-19 pandemic and to find ways to minimise the impact on our societies. and economies. This has been done bilaterally, both PMs spoke to each other and exchanged notes and exchanged details of best practises which are being followed. That was done on April 10 and they exchanged notes again on the G20 platform and a lot of global consensus and challenges emerging out of COVID-19 pandemic. PM Abe of Japan expressed his respect for PM Modi for demonstrating leadership in south Asian region such as by hosting summit by video conference and establishing emergency fund besides expressing gratitude for Indian govt's assistance in facilitating the departure of stranded Japanese nationals in India and asked for our continues and continued cooperation in that respect. We have earlier seen a situation in which many Indians nationals were crew members on luxury cruiseliner diamond princess were evacuated from Japan. PM Modi thanked the Japanese govt for the assistance they provided for the evacuation in February. As far as the scientific community is concerned, they are in regular touch for scientific and technological intervention that could be thought of in order to control the situation better. WION: What is India's view about the Japan model and have shared the Indian model? Sanjay Kumar Verma: Japan model focuses on containment and suppression based on clusters and we can see from the data which comes out from Japanese official systems, it shows a good achievement and result and this has been able to restrict the number of cases in Japan which about 1/10th of India's population. We have shared the best practices which have been followed in India as well which has been received with great appreciation by Japanese officials and leadership. We have also talked about the traditional Indian medicine practices in Ayurveda and traditional Indian practices such as Yoga in order to increase the immunity of a person so that COVID 19 infection can be warded off. This has been received very well by the Japanese society at large. Sidhant Sibal: How are Indian diplomats faring? Sanjay Kumar Verma: Diplomats are the one who are most of the time at the frontline in such a situation and I am very glad to share that Indian embassy in Tokyo and the consulate general of India in Osaka have been doing whatever they can in order to secure the wellbeing of each and every Indian national in Japan. We have been advising them, we have been facilitating them, we have been trying to find solutions to the problems, unique or collective and all these things have been able to make there lives in Japan easier. As far as diplomats in these 2 Indian missions are concerned, I have the only word of appreciation for all of them. They have been helping out, both the govt and Indians nationals in Japan while maintaining and taking all the precautions that they are required to take to avoid getting infected themselves. We hope that this helping hand will go a long way in comforting our nationals in Japan as well as in further solidifying the bilateral relationship between Japan and India.

Indian, Japanese scientists in touch for COVID-19 solution, says Indian envoy to Japan

Indian envoy to Australia Gitesh Sarma has said that New Delhi is sympathetic to the country's requirement for medicine in the backdrop of COVID crisis and "India and Australia are part of such global efforts" are part of global efforts against the crisis. &nbsp;

Speaking exclusively to our diplomatic correspondent Sidhant Sibal, Envoy Gitesh Sarma spoke at length on the situation of the Indian community with both sides "working closely" for the "welfare of the large number of Indian nationals residing in Australia".

WION: How is India and Australia cooperating on Covid crisis? Especially on Hydroxychloroquine.

Gitesh Sarma: As close friends and partners, India and Australia are closely engaged with each other and also other partners in responding to this global COVID19 pandemic crisis. During their telephone call earlier this month, our Prime Ministers had extensive discussions on the pandemic and the domestic response strategies being adopted on both the sides. We have also agreed on the importance of bilateral experience-sharing in the context of this health crisis, including through collaborative research efforts. Another area of focus, where both the sides are working closely, is the welfare of the large number of Indian nationals residing in Australia who has been impacted by this crisis. &nbsp;I can inform you that India, taking into account our strong ties, looks with sympathy at Australia’s drug requirements. There have been frequent contacts at high levels and senior officials where issues of mutual concern are discussed, including in the pandemic context.

WION: Have u shared any covid containment models with Australia? 
 
Gitesh Sarma: It needs to be underlined that both our countries fully agree on the importance of bilateral experience-sharing in this unprecedented health crisis, including through collaborative research efforts. &nbsp;We share a special relationship, which provides the backdrop against which we discuss issues of concern freely and frankly. Institutions on both sides are in touch with each other to take this forward. Globally, there are opportunities for sharing experiences in the fight against the pandemic. &nbsp;India and Australia are part of such global efforts.

WION: Are you involving local Indian communities to help stranded Indians? 
 
Gitesh Sarma: &nbsp;The 700,000 strong Indian diaspora in Australia, is a very important component of our relations with Australia and a tremendous asset in times like this. &nbsp;Ever since the outbreak of the pandemic, the High Commission and all our Consulates in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth have been working very closely with local Indian diaspora associations to provide emergency relief assistance to Indian nationals in need across the country.

It would not be amiss to say that the local diaspora community plays a lead role in our efforts to ensure the welfare of the stranded Indians. Whether it is an entity representing the entire country or a state or a language or a religion or even a profession, I am happy to share that every section of the diaspora has risen to the occasion and contributed its might to the common cause.

A few months back, large parts of Australia were ravaged by bushfires. &nbsp;

The Indian diaspora was active in providing relief to those affected. &nbsp;And the same spirit has come to the fore in the current situation. We are deeply encouraged by the sense of service shown by the Indian community in Australia in this hour of need. I would like to convey my appreciation and gratitude for their selfless service to the needy.

WION: How is the Indian mission taking care of Indians stranded in Australia?&nbsp;

Gitesh Sarma: There are more than 2.5 lakh Indian nationals in Australia, including 90,000 students. We have a multi-pronged strategy to review and respond to the needs of the Indian community in the evolving situation. &nbsp;To start, a robust system to ensure proper information, guidance and the effective response have been put in place to inform, guide and respond to the needs of our nationals. The system includes a 24x7 Emergency Helpline in the Mission and our 3 Consulates in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, leveraging our Social media presence where we have a combined following of more than 200,000. &nbsp;Our social media outreach to the Indian community has been made more responsive keeping the pandemic situation in mind. &nbsp;We have conducted video conferences with stranded students and Indian nationals. &nbsp;Overall, our sense is that they have shown immense courage in dealing with this situation and we are proud of them.

To take care of the immediate and urgent needs of the affected Indian nationals, especially the Indian students facing financial hardship, a nationwide system has been set up with partner diaspora organisations, with assistance from the Mission to provide take away meals and basic provisions. Till now, around 30,000 meal packs/grocery kits have been distributed to needy persons. &nbsp;We are happy to say that the Indian diaspora has taken, in many instances, its own initiatives to provide relief to stranded Indians.

Mission has also worked with the Indian Medical Association of Australia and other Indian diasporas in the health sector to set up “Virtual Clinic” for enabling basic access to healthcare in difficult situations. &nbsp;Mission and our Consulates have also attended to requests for accommodation assistance from those in acute distress, in partnership with diaspora partner organisations &amp; individuals although there are challenges here.

We are aware that a number of stranded Indians would like to return home. &nbsp;Right now, the message is to stay where they are until things change. We look forward to being able to provide credible information on resumption of flights as and when available. On the external front, Mission is closely engaged with key Australian authorities including the Dept of Foreign Affairs &amp; Trade, Dept of Health, Dept of Education and Universities at various levels to provide practical relief to the affected Indian nationals.

There are also individual cases where the High Commission has had to find creative solutions in very challenging conditions to provide relief keeping in mind humanitarian aspects. Recently a number of Australian Universities have announced their own plans to support international students impacted by the pandemic. &nbsp;The sense we get is that the pandemic situation is seen as a short-term challenge. &nbsp;Australian Universities are interested in attracting international students by offering high-quality education. &nbsp;Australian educational institutions greatly value the presence of Indian students.

Indian envoy to Australia Gitesh Sarma has said that New Delhi is sympathetic to the country's requirement for medicine in the backdrop of COVID crisis and "India and Australia are part of such global efforts" are part of global efforts against the crisis.

Indian envoy to Australia Gitesh Sarma has said that New Delhi is sympathetic to the country's requirement for medicine in the backdrop of COVID crisis and "India and Australia are part of such global efforts" are part of global efforts against the crisis. Speaking exclusively to our diplomatic correspondent Sidhant Sibal, Envoy Gitesh Sarma spoke at length on the situation of the Indian community with both sides "working closely" for the "welfare of the large number of Indian nationals residing in Australia". WION: How is India and Australia cooperating on Covid crisis? Especially on Hydroxychloroquine. Gitesh Sarma: As close friends and partners, India and Australia are closely engaged with each other and also other partners in responding to this global COVID19 pandemic crisis. During their telephone call earlier this month, our Prime Ministers had extensive discussions on the pandemic and the domestic response strategies being adopted on both the sides. We have also agreed on the importance of bilateral experience-sharing in the context of this health crisis, including through collaborative research efforts. Another area of focus, where both the sides are working closely, is the welfare of the large number of Indian nationals residing in Australia who has been impacted by this crisis. I can inform you that India, taking into account our strong ties, looks with sympathy at Australia’s drug requirements. There have been frequent contacts at high levels and senior officials where issues of mutual concern are discussed, including in the pandemic context. WION: Have u shared any covid containment models with Australia? Gitesh Sarma: It needs to be underlined that both our countries fully agree on the importance of bilateral experience-sharing in this unprecedented health crisis, including through collaborative research efforts. We share a special relationship, which provides the backdrop against which we discuss issues of concern freely and frankly. Institutions on both sides are in touch with each other to take this forward. Globally, there are opportunities for sharing experiences in the fight against the pandemic. India and Australia are part of such global efforts. WION: Are you involving local Indian communities to help stranded Indians? Gitesh Sarma: The 700,000 strong Indian diaspora in Australia, is a very important component of our relations with Australia and a tremendous asset in times like this. Ever since the outbreak of the pandemic, the High Commission and all our Consulates in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth have been working very closely with local Indian diaspora associations to provide emergency relief assistance to Indian nationals in need across the country. It would not be amiss to say that the local diaspora community plays a lead role in our efforts to ensure the welfare of the stranded Indians. Whether it is an entity representing the entire country or a state or a language or a religion or even a profession, I am happy to share that every section of the diaspora has risen to the occasion and contributed its might to the common cause. A few months back, large parts of Australia were ravaged by bushfires. The Indian diaspora was active in providing relief to those affected. And the same spirit has come to the fore in the current situation. We are deeply encouraged by the sense of service shown by the Indian community in Australia in this hour of need. I would like to convey my appreciation and gratitude for their selfless service to the needy. WION: How is the Indian mission taking care of Indians stranded in Australia? Gitesh Sarma: There are more than 2.5 lakh Indian nationals in Australia, including 90,000 students. We have a multi-pronged strategy to review and respond to the needs of the Indian community in the evolving situation. To start, a robust system to ensure proper information, guidance and the effective response have been put in place to inform, guide and respond to the needs of our nationals. The system includes a 24x7 Emergency Helpline in the Mission and our 3 Consulates in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, leveraging our Social media presence where we have a combined following of more than 200,000. Our social media outreach to the Indian community has been made more responsive keeping the pandemic situation in mind. We have conducted video conferences with stranded students and Indian nationals. Overall, our sense is that they have shown immense courage in dealing with this situation and we are proud of them. To take care of the immediate and urgent needs of the affected Indian nationals, especially the Indian students facing financial hardship, a nationwide system has been set up with partner diaspora organisations, with assistance from the Mission to provide take away meals and basic provisions. Till now, around 30,000 meal packs/grocery kits have been distributed to needy persons. We are happy to say that the Indian diaspora has taken, in many instances, its own initiatives to provide relief to stranded Indians. Mission has also worked with the Indian Medical Association of Australia and other Indian diasporas in the health sector to set up “Virtual Clinic” for enabling basic access to healthcare in difficult situations. Mission and our Consulates have also attended to requests for accommodation assistance from those in acute distress, in partnership with diaspora partner organisations & individuals although there are challenges here. We are aware that a number of stranded Indians would like to return home. Right now, the message is to stay where they are until things change. We look forward to being able to provide credible information on resumption of flights as and when available. On the external front, Mission is closely engaged with key Australian authorities including the Dept of Foreign Affairs & Trade, Dept of Health, Dept of Education and Universities at various levels to provide practical relief to the affected Indian nationals. There are also individual cases where the High Commission has had to find creative solutions in very challenging conditions to provide relief keeping in mind humanitarian aspects. Recently a number of Australian Universities have announced their own plans to support international students impacted by the pandemic. The sense we get is that the pandemic situation is seen as a short-term challenge. Australian Universities are interested in attracting international students by offering high-quality education. Australian educational institutions greatly value the presence of Indian students.

Sympathetic to Australia's requirement on medicines, says Indian envoy to Australia

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Zee News Rajasthan

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Sidhant Sibal

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